Splanchnic ischaemia and multiple organ failure in the critically ill.

The development of a safe and simple tonometric method of monitoring the adequacy of gastrointestinal mucosal perfusion has provided a new perspective of splanchnic ischaemia in the critically ill. It would appear that splanchnic hypoxia, identified by the presence of intramucosal acidosis in the gut, may be one of the most consistent and earliest indications of impaired tissue perfusion in the critically ill and be causally related to the development of sepsis and multiple organ failure.